The Cluster Grouping Handbook: A Schoolwide Model: How to Challenge Gifted Students and Improve Achievement for All

In today’s standards-driven era, how can teachers motivate and challenge gifted learners and ensure that all students reach their potential—without major budget implications? This book provides a compelling answer: the Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Model (SCGM). The authors explain how the model differs from grouping practices of the past, and they present a roadmap for implementing, sustaining, and evaluating schoolwide cluster grouping. Practitioners will find a wealth of teacher-tested classroom strategies along with detailed information on identifying students for clusters, gaining support from parents, and providing ongoing professional development. Digital content features customizable reproducible forms and a PowerPoint presentation designed for in-service training.

Susan Winebrenner, M.S., is a full-time consultant in staff development.

She presents workshops and seminars nationally and internationally, helping educators translate educational research into classroom practice.

Dina Brulles, Ph.D., is the gifted program coordinator at Arizona State University and the former director of gifted education at Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona. She recently served as NAGC’s Governance Secretary and also as the board’s school district representative.

Dina received the prestigious 2022 NAGC Ann F. Isaacs Founder’s Memorial Award. She was also the recipient of the 2019 and the 2020 NAGC Book of the Year Award (for practitioners), NAGC’s inaugural 2014 Gifted Coordinator Award, and the Professional Development Network Award in 2013.

Dina has actively supported and served as a mentor for the Javits Frasier Scholarship Program since 2010. Dr. Brulles’ work emphasizes and encourages equitable and inclusive identification practices and programming in gifted education. By sharing her interests and experiences, Dr. Brulles supports others in their efforts to develop all our gifted learners’ potential.